


The Twilight of Magic

by ManicRed



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Blood and Gore, Corvo Bianco (The Witcher), Drama, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Gambling, Gwent (The Witcher), Heavy Drinking, Human/Monster Society, Monsters, Multi, Mystery, Original Character(s), POV Original Character, Spoilers, Toussaint (The Witcher), Witcher Contracts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2020-01-15 05:42:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18492541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManicRed/pseuds/ManicRed
Summary: Contains spoilers. This story picks up after the events of The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, and assumes that the war is over after the death of Radovid V, Geralt retires to Toussaint alone, and Ciri has become a witcher. The main character of this story is an OC.Vale is a young woman attempting to discover who she is, but is normally busy studying in Oxenfurt. However, her path is changed when she encounters an ashen haired woman. Vale runs to her rescue, and she spends some time afterwards getting the mysterious woman to good health. When Ciri is well enough, she explains that she is embarking on a dangerous journey, and Vale ends up travelling alongside her. Together, Vale and Ciri must brave the wilds, relying on each other, to save magic before it disappears.





	The Twilight of Magic

****

**Chapter 1 – The Ashen Haired Woman**

Dusk approached slowly, the lingering rays of the sun stretching over the city and painting it shades of crimson, blush, and apricot. Vale exited the main doors of Oxenfurt Academy, her sleek ebony hair pulled into a haphazard braid over her right shoulder. Though she had an eyepatch over her left eye, she read the book in her gloved hands with no trouble, one bright cyan eye travelling over the words as she walked smoothly, the heels of her knee high boots clacking over the cobblestones. Her sight was not on the road, but she walked swiftly and with confidence. Though she exited the Academy, where medical science was studied, Vale didn’t dress like a student. She had a utility belt with several pouches on it, and she carried a sword at one hip and a crossbow on her back. She wore a navy bishop sleeve shirt with an off the shoulder neckline and a black under bust corset with wide halter straps and a turquoise pocket on each side. A black cap sleeve bolero covered her slender shoulders. Her dark pants clung to the shapely form of her legs and tucked into her boots with sapphire stockings peaking from the top. She was out of place amongst the other pupils. The others around her constantly wondered what such a woman was doing in a place of education, but Vale didn’t share her business. Most had agreed that a warrior might need a certain amount of knowledge concerning first aid, and so she must be leaving soon. Only, it had been a year since Vale had arrived in Oxenfurt, and she had yet to show signs of leaving.

Her stride remained the same as she walked through the busy city, but she lowered her book as she passed through the town square. Merchants left and right shouted about their wares, attempting to attract customers in. Vale paid them no mind. Instead, she passed through without a word to anyone and started towards the Western Gate. The last of the sun’s rays were struggling to stay visible as Vale left the city.

Stopping abruptly at the edge of the bridge, standing the edge of Oxenfurt, Vale strained to listen to the sounds of the early night. The water surrounding the city lapped gently at the beach and a soft wind rustled through the trees. Vale stood eerily still, her feet shoulder length apart, her gloved fingers twitching towards her sword.

Then she heard it again, this time more clearly. A piercing shriek penetrated the trees. Vale burst into a run, following the sound. She bounded through the trees, moving with incredible speed and agility. The flora and fauna bent to her will, pushing aside so that she could pass. She leapt over a felled log, and she was close enough now to hear the sounds of a battle. She was able to pick up the sounds of two beings, one being human, female by the sounds of the grunts from the effort it took to swing her sword, and the other being a monster, the blade cutting at its skin and cause it to howl in pain. The fighter was struggling, growing weaker as it fought the beast, and so Vale ran in an attempt to keep the creature from overpowering its human attacker.

When Vale reached a clearing, she slid across the gravel to halt her movement. There, an ashen haired woman was battling against a katakan that stood several feet taller than her, wildly swinging its sharp claws to try and get around the silver sword being slashed at it. The ashen haired woman glanced over her shoulder, the white of her shirt stained with her scarlet blood. She narrowly blocked the beast’s claw with the blade of her sword, cutting the palm of its hand.

“Don’t come any closer!” said the woman. Vale moved one foot back, seeing that the stranger didn’t need another distraction from the katakan.

“Very well,” said Vale, her voice flowing like honey off her tongue, “I shall aid you from here.” She raised both of her hands, a vibrant green light glittering in her palms. Vale muttered the words of a spell, and with flicks of her fingers, she commanded the trees. The branches bent like limbs, swinging at the katakana and knocking it down. The ashen haired woman yelped in surprise, jumping back, but her blood loss made her dizzy, and she knelt to the ground, the tip of her sword plunging into the ground as she tried to keep herself upright. Vale kept her focus on the katakan, which was writhing on the ground. Another flick of her fingers had the rocks leaping to life and melding together, binding the creature’s arms and legs to the ground. Vale formed her hands like claws, keeping them close together, and she began to increase the distance. Her hands shook as the creature struggled, as she kept her focus to contain it. The katakan screeched as Vale continued to pull, the rocks stretching the creature’s body to a limit that it could no longer stand. Its bones began to snap, the sound gruesome to their ears, but Vale didn’t stop. Vale’s breathing increased steadily, the act of holding the monster putting pressure on her mind and body. The katakan reached its limit, and the rocks pulled the beast’s arms and legs away from its body, Vale’s arms flying free at the release of the pressure. She released the spell, and the stream of rocks collapsed to the ground. Her heart pounding her chest, Vale approached the stranger. Through her labored breathing and heaving bosom, she was able to speak to the stranger.

“You seem like you’ve been in better sorts,” said Vale. She might have tried to cast a healing spell, but she had exhausted much of her energy on containing the katakan. If she used any more serious spells, she may drain her vitality and be unable to fend for herself. Vale wouldn’t sacrifice her body in such a manner. The woman looked up at her with vivid green eyes.

“I guess you could say that. Thank you for your help,” she said simply. She pushed on her sword to help her stand. “You came at exactly the right time. That katakan ended up being sneakier than I expected. I think it knew I was on its trail.” The ashen haired woman dragged her sword behind her as she walked over to the creature.

“Geomancy, huh?” she said, looking at the long ropes made of rocks that held the monster’s limbs.

“My specialty,” answered Vale simply. The woman chopped of the creature’s head and gathered it up. Vale observed from where she stood, giving the stranger space to do what she needed to accomplish. The woman sheathed her sword on her back, and Vale saw that it was one of two blades. Vale assumed that the woman was a witcher, and she was collecting the katakan’s head as a trophy in order to collect her payment.

“Could you recommend somewhere I might be able to get patched up?” the woman asked, the katakan’s head dripping in her hand.

“My mentor, Shani, should be willing to help. Her practice is not far,” Vale replied. The stranger’s eyes lit up suddenly.

“Ah, Shani! She is a family friend,” answered the woman. “I can’t believe I chased this thing all the way to Oxenfurt.” Vale looked at the woman’s muddied beige boots and her worn leather gloves. Her clothes were dirty, her belt was loose, and her pants were splattered with mud and blood. She seemed like she had been travelling for a long time, and Vale was sure that she would be exhausted.

“You must be exhausted. Allow me to show you to Shani’s, and we can get you taken care of,” said Vale. The woman showed a thankful smile. Vale lead the way through the brush, making sure that the stranger was behind her.

“They call me Vale,” said she as the moved through the trees. “What’s your name?”

“Ciri.”


End file.
